Advancements in Green Air Travel

Step foot in a new destination -- and leave behind a smaller carbon footprint. Green air travel is making strides, including several advancements made just this week.

United was the first U.S. domestic carrier to use biofuel (made partially from algae) in a commercial flight, from Houston to Chicago. Then Alaska Airlines and its affiliate Horizon Air introduced a biofuel blend, made from used cooking oil, to be used on 75 flights from Seattle to Washington, D.C., and Portland by the end of the year.

International carriers KLM, Lufthansa and Air China have already introduced biofuel use into their daily flight schedules, and more airlines are expected to use their own biofuel blends in 2012.

Changes aren’t just happening in tanks, however. United-Continental is arming pilots with iPads to cut down on the weight of in-flight manuals, and flight attendants debuted new lighter carts.

Participating airlines say these changes are just the start in their sustainability efforts and programs aimed to cut down on environmental impacts.